Talk about hate...

Not even less than a week has passed and you have the 2008 NBA champs taking shots at the current NBA champs. Kevin Garnett said that he gurantess they will win it all in '10 and 11. [Wow]! On top of that, on Pirce's twit status was:

"Lakers vs orlando. Looked like a german sherperd vs a poodle that’s ok the rotwieler celtics will b back in 2o10"

Talk about being jealous ha. Man I cannot wait til next year to see what the C's do with a KG.

Lastest MV[Puppets]

Rick Rubio's Interview

Ratings

I am not surprised, but ratings were down this year compared to last season. The five games on ABC between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic averaged an 8.4 rating. That's down close to 10 percent from last season's 9.3 for the six-game Lakers-Celtics series, which was boosted by Boston's large market and traditional rivalry with LA. It's still up 35 percent from the record-low 6.2 for San Antonio's sweep of Cleveland two years ago. But if it was Cleveland vs L.A., it could have beaten last year ratings. Still good ratings for the NBA Finals.

Cavs interested in Josh Smith

ESPN.com's NBA insider Chad Ford, said something interesting on yesterday:

The big trade rumor flying around (if you're already tired of the Shaq-to-Cleveland talk) centers on the Hawks' Josh Smith. Several league sources told ESPN.com that the Hawks have been working hard the past few weeks to see whether they can find a taker for Smith. 

The Hawks have some financial issues coming into the summer. Two key players, Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams, are free agents. So are a few others on the roster -- Josh Childress, Zaza Pachulia, and Ronald Murray. Although the Hawks would like to keep those players, they can't afford to pay all of them. That has opened the door to the possibility of trading Smith, who, although talented, has a reputation as a difficult player to coach. 

The Hawks have had no problem finding teams interested in Smith. The issue is the whopping $6 million trade kicker attached to his contract. The trade kicker essentially would require the team that trades for Smith to pay him the $6 million immediately. In this economic climate, many owners will balk at the payment. 

"You are going to see very few owners willing to do things like that anymore," one GM said. "I'm not saying he's impossible to trade. There are a few owners like Paul Allen, James Dolan, Mark Cuban and maybe Daniel Gilbert [Cavs] who would pay the money. But there aren't many."

Smith is neither Amar'e or Bosh [who the Cavs want], but he's great fit for the Cavs. He gives them an athletic player who can play above the rim on offense [like 'Bron] and while blocking shots on defense. Whatever deal the Cavs make for him, they should make sure it is not for a starter but a player for them that comes off the bench. 

Playoffs??? You talkin about Playoffs??

Even with an uncertainty at quarterback, instability at offensive coordinator, questions about the receiving corps and an inexperienced head coach, coach Mike Singletary is stating that they will make the playoffs this year. They have a hurdle to jump first because even though they went 7-9 a year ago, when not one of their victories came against teams that reached the playoffs. The 49ers are coming off six consecutive losing seasons and have made the playoffs only twice since the start of the 1999 season. But Singletary says that his team showed good work ethic and a great mind set during OTAs and that will help them bridge the gap. 

Fast Willie

Look for "Fast" Willie Parker to have a breakout season. At the end of practices, Parker has been staying around running extra sprints and even running with a sled. He is trying to get his speed back like he had a few seasons ago. He wants to stay healthy also after missing some games last season. Parker just wants to go back to the way he started off his career and doing the small things that got him to where he is now. This will be a big year seeing that, Rashad Mendenhall will be back, Parker is 28 and Parker is entering his final year of his contract. As long as he keeps his work ethic up though, Parker should be looking at another Pro Bowl and maybe a Super Bowl.

Busy man

Wow! As busy as Lebron has been, you would think he just won the NBA Championship. Monday, Lebron and some friends visited the White House and were given a tour. Then Lebron went to see the premiere of his movie [More than a Game]. It is a documentary based off Lebron's high school team and their rise to champs. Yesterday, James and pop music star Rihanna celebrated the opening of the Carol's Daughter Hand & Foot Spa in New York. I mean, what is next for him? A trip to the moon?

From the horse's mouth

We finally hear something from Favre. I said i was not going to post anything until I heard something concrete from him not "sources". But Brett Favre still isn't sure if he's going to be playing for the Vikings this fall. Favre was a guest on the HBO premiere of "Joe Buck Live" and he said his decision to come out of retirement again will be made primarily on how his arm feels [he had the surgery on the bicep that he tore]. The Vikings is the only team that he has talked about playing for. So the odds are that he will be playing next season in a purple jersey.  

Reaching Expectations

Sinorice Moss has heard everybody talk about him being a bust. That he'll never be as good as his brother [Santana Moss]. That he'll never reach his potential and that he's only 5-8 and not built for the NFL. This upcoming season he is looking to put all of those talks to an end. He has been looking really good in OTAs and the first few days of camp. He hopes to continue this because this will be a critical year for him since the Giants have drafted two receivers this year. Moss has not been able to show what he can do because he has been hurt for most of his career. As long as he stays healthy, he has the chance to prove the doubters wrong.